A consortium of St Albans district headteachers has decided not to release A-Level results from secondary schools this year.

Without any consultation or explanation, the group St Albans and Harpenden Secondary School Heads (STASSH) has decided not to provide specific information about grades or performance statistics.

In contrast with other education establishments in the district, the statements they have released are restricted to positive comments about “record-breaking results”, but without backing up their claims.

Herts Ad editor Matt Adams explained why the decision was taken not to publish these statements: “For decades, the Herts Advertiser has proudly celebrated the academic achievements of our local schools.

“We would not publish unsubstantiated claims about records being broken or “best-ever” results in any other circumstance, so why do so now?

“Instead, we will only highlight those schools which are prepared to release the details we require, whether their performances are good or bad, in order to make a stand against this unrealistic approach.

“Hopefully by drawing a line in the sand over this practice this year we will ensure it does not continue in the future.”

A spokesperson for Herts County Council said they had no say over the release of results: “Schools are self-managing and it is for them to decide how and whether they release their exam data in advance of the DfE’s publication.”